Levain: French for Sourdough Starter

"Levain" in French Baking

"Levain" is a term used in French baking for sourdough starter. To make it, you enrich a small portion of active sourdough starter with fresh flour and water and then let it ferment until it matures.

Unlike the ongoing sourdough starter, levain is a temporary culture used once for leavening and then discarded. Using levain helps increase the amount of active yeast and bacteria, enhancing the dough's rise, texture, and flavor.

This technique is crucial in sourdough baking to optimize fermentation and dough development.

Other Names for "Levain"

• Starter: Commonly used in English-speaking countries to describe the initial mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria.
• Mother Dough: Highlights the ongoing lineage of dough where a portion is saved to start the next batch.
• Chef: A term interchangeable with levain in classical French baking.
• Pre-ferment: A broad term for any starter, including levain, used in the early stage of dough preparation.
• Sponge: Similar to pre-ferment, this refers to a starter that undergoes fermentation before being mixed into the main dough.
• Culture: Focuses on the yeast and bacteria ecosystem within the starter.
• Seed Culture: Points to the starter's role in beginning the fermentation process.